Religiosity, Political Ideology, and Attitudes toward Homosexuality among Canadians

Introduction Western societies have progressively adopted more tolerant views on homosexuality, with Canadian public opinion similarly shifting toward broader acceptance over the past two decades. Yet recent Canadian data show a rise in hate crimes linked to sexual orientation. Few studies have examined how political ideology conditions the influence of religiosity on attitudes toward homosexuality. Methods Using data from the seventh edition of the Canadian World Values Survey (2020), this study analyzes how political ideology and four indicators of religiosity—religious importance, attendance, membership, and status—shape attitudes toward homosexuality. OLS was applied to the 0–10 justification scale and LPM to the neighbour-intolerance outcome. Interaction effects were examined across six models. Results Political conservatism and higher religiosity levels were associated with decreased tolerance of homosexuality. The negative effects of religiosity were strongest among politically conservative respondents. Active religious membership increased tolerance on the political left but decreased tolerance on the political right. Religious Canadians became significantly more intolerant than atheists as they moved toward the right. Conclusions Political ideology intensifies the influence of religiosity on attitudes toward homosexuality, revealing persistent moral variation within a high-acceptance national context. Policy Implications Legal equality alone does not eliminate the moral frameworks that produce opposition to sexual minorities; subnational religious–political divisions may continue to shape intolerance.